"Finest Thai" -- "Now Open".
The summer before Dusty and I got married, I spent two and a half months in Thailand. I absolutely fell in love - with the culture, with the people and definitely the food. A-mazing. Seriously, if Dusty said we could drop everything and move there tomorrow, I would not be putting up a fight. Our family probably would, but not me!
I could spend hours writing about my experiences there, the things I learned and why I loved it so much. However, let's just focus on the food.
If you know me, you know that I am not one to throw away calories. I could pass up a burger and fries, a steak, chinese food, a hotdog, etc. any day of the week. As far as unhealthy foods go, my first love is and will always be pizza. Chicago pizza in particular, but I'm really not picky when it comes to my pizza pie! Heck, I can even handle frozen on occasion. But, my second pleasure would hands down have to go to Thai food. On that note, this isn't something I get to enjoy all that often. In Chicago, Dusty and I hit up Panang as often as we could. It was a little Thai place not a block away from Moody. We have found a couple of Thai restaurants here and there around San Diego, but the best places are downtown. Besides the fact that we don't eat out all that often, we also don't tote the kids around downtown that much either. Eating out with kids can be hit or miss and when we really want to enjoy a nice dinner, the kids typically aren't in the picture.
So, wow - forever ago, we saw a sign in the little shopping center next to our house (the same shopping center as my Target) that read: "Thai Food". Under that sign it read, "Coming Soon." Not the most creative name or branding, but I'm willing to give it a try - after all, it is Thai food. So, I waited.
And, I waited.
And, I waited some more.
Nothing was happening. I drove past the the place on occasion to get a peek on the progress and it was completely empty. There were no signs of life. Eventually, the "Coming Soon" sign came down. I came to terms with the fact that I would not get my very own Thai restaurant 2 minutes away from my doorstep.
Months passed.
About two weeks ago I was sitting at the stop light across from Target minding my own business, listening to music and fidgeting with my iPhone while waiting for the light to turn green.
Then, I saw it. The sign read, "Finest Thai" - "Now Open".
My mouth dropped. I drove in the parking lot just to take a photo to send to Dusty. I sent a text saying, "Are. you. ready. for. this? Are you ready for what I'm about to tell you???"
I gave him the good news and we made plans to try it out - soon.
Today was the day. Dusty asked if I wanted him to go pick it up "to go" and of course, I agreed. He noted that the ladies there were really nice, but he wasn't sure whether or not they were Thai. The owner's name is Cookie. He ordered two orders of Pad See Ew (my absolute favorite) and sticky rice with mango - the most amazing dessert, ever!! The verdict, you ask?
Well, I tried the sticky rice and mango first. Fantastic. While I was having a taste of that, Dusty tried the Pad See Ew. He warned me that it was a bit spicy. He said he asked for no spice, but apparently Cookie misunderstood this request. Because, let me tell you - it was hot! I do not do well with spicy food, as I am a total and complete wimp when it comes to the teeniest bit of heat. However, you know it's spicy when Dusty thinks so too, so I wasn't being a complete baby. All in all, it was tasty, but there is no way I could finish it. My mouth is still burning. I think we'll definitely try it again and next time make sure it's mild. Then, I think I will have found my very own little Thai heaven.
Nothing will ever beat walking down the streets of Chang Mai and ordering a huge plate of Thai food for $.25. But for El Cajon, this will do just fine.
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